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Cheesy_Goodness said:
Me too :tank:



After I put the collar on it was really a work in progress whenever I had the time to string together to do something to it.



I'm not a great example of beer line sanitation but I usually run some oxyclean through them every...I don't know 4 batches? Usually followed by water, then starsan, then the new beer. If I don't get around to flushing a line with water after a keg kicks I'll make it a point to do it then but it's not part of my normal routine. So far I haven't had to replace a line but I'm sure I'll get there.
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So ive heard you are supposed to clean your taps like everyday if you have exposed taps that arent refrigerated but you guys are talking about forward sealing taps? So you dont have to clean them before the keg is empty? Im confused but intrigued. I have picnic taps on mine inside my freezer because they stay refrigerated and i dont have to clean them. But i could probably easily add a collar to my freezer if i got some taps
 
Limited experience with anything but Perlicks here but I do have a jockey box with standard faucets I used for the first time two weeks ago. As is tradition, I have yet to run oxyclean/starsan through the thing. All I know is my standard faucets are sticking.

I know I've had longer periods of time without pouring anything from a Perlick and have never had any sticking issues.
 
So you only have to clean it when it sticks? Ive heard bacteria can grow in the taps if they are open to air. I think the perlick are more sanitary though so maybe they dont have to be cleaned as much? Idk
 
Poopsmitherson said:
Shaiv, I just got around to this video. Awesome resource. Thanks!
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No problem man. It very long, i think i watched the first 20 minutes before i bought any kegs. Its very detailed into each part and different types. Also just curious as to what you are using for fermentation temp control? I use my chest freezer for both temp control and kegerator right now because i dont have both. I just change the temp to “convert” it lol
 
SHAIV said:
So you only have to clean it when it sticks? Ive heard bacteria can grow in the taps if they are open to air. I think the perlick are more sanitary though so maybe they dont have to be cleaned as much? Idk
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Like I said it's my first time dealing with standard faucets but the fact that they stick at all tells me there's a sanitation issue there. Probably easily dealt with a spray bottle of star san every day or so if I had to guess.
 
I have pearlicks on my setup and haven't noticed any sticking yet. I will run PBW then hot water then sanitizer through the lines every 3-4 beers or if one of the lines has been empty for a while. Haven't noticed any issues with the beer doing it this way.
 
Oh poops i just got an email. Homebrew suppy is having a half off sale this weekend for thier refurbished kegs when ordered with a keg kit just fyi thats where i got mine
 
Back to collar adhesives...I used clear silicone and it’s as strong as glue with an airtight seal. I also built my collar out of 2x6 lumber. Then I passed it through the table saw cutting 1/4 inch off both the top and bottom making it both true and square. No hassle fighting warped boards this way.
 
crescentfresh said:
Back to collar adhesives...I used clear silicone and it’s as strong as glue with an airtight seal. I also built my collar out of 2x6 lumber. Then I passed it through the table saw cutting 1/4 inch off both the top and bottom making it both true and square. No hassle fighting warped boards this way.
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I used 2x6 as well, and ran them through the jointer and planer to get them straight and true. Waterlox'd the hell out of them because I love Waterlox. I'm going to try out the no-glue-collar and see how it works. I got some wide camper shell weatherstrip foam and put that on it. BUT...now I've realized I need to add about another half inch height to the collar to be able to sufficiently anchor the lid hinges to the collar. Ugghhh. Such a pain in the ass now I got to drag out the table saw and rip some 2x lumber to fix that. And I hate my table saw.

ETA: And the rest of my shanks and taps came in this weekend.

keezertaps.JPG
 
Got another NEIPA cold crashing now. This is my first time using lupulin/cryo hops. The aroma is out of this world. Fermented this one in the keg. Closed transfer to another keg for dry hopping. Then closed transfer to the serving keg with a keg hop. Since pitching yeast, oxygen won't touch this beer until it's pouring out the tap. High hopes for this one since oxidation straight up murders these beers.

Here's a pic I grabbed when I was jumping it over to the dry hop keg. Looks like Sunny D. Can't wait to carb it up this weekend.

IMG_9110.JPG
 
Looks awesome! What hop combo did you use? And when you do keg transfers, do you have a shortened dip tube to keep yeast out? Or a filter of some sort? To keep hops out?
 
SHAIV said:
Looks awesome! What hop combo did you use? And when you do keg transfers, do you have a shortened dip tube to keep yeast out? Or a filter of some sort? To keep hops out?
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Thanks dude. This one was all citra and mosaic (probably my favorite combo), with about half of them being cyro/lupulin hops.

For initial fermentation, I fermented it in a sanke keg with the spear removed. I used a carboy cap with a gas post added. Here's a picture of it with the blowoff tube on:
PSMiPM1.jpg


When I was ready to jump it over to another keg for dry hopping, I just removed the blow off tube, slid a SS racking cane through that port, and hooked up gas and pushed it to the next keg through the out dip tube. Now, on this keg, the dry hop keg, I do have a shortened dip tube. I think I cut off about 3/4". We'll see if that's enough. I'm hoping it is, considering I left most of the yeast/trub behind in the fermenting keg. It's cold crashing now and I'll jump it over to the serving keg. I'm really hoping that dip tube is short enough and there isn't enough shiit in the dry hop keg to clog up poppets and such. I put the dry hops in a bag as well, so that should help.
 
Where did you add the cryo hops? In the “whirl”? I havent even used mine yet
Also thats a pretty slick setup you got there. I never knew what a sanke keg was
 
SHAIV said:
Where did you add the cryo hops? In the “whirl”? I havent even used mine yet
Also thats a pretty slick setup you got there. I never knew what a sanke keg was
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Yeah man, sanke kegs are the "commercial" kegs with the center inlet for a sanke coupler. I have about 4 of them but haven't gotten a coupler to convert to ball lock for my system, so I've just been fermenting in them as of lately. I can also use that carboy hood and gas hook up to closed transfer out of carboys as well. Only takes like 1 or 2 psi to get it flowing.

Yeah, all the cryo hops were in the whirlpool and dry hop. I basically substituted some of the pellets for the cryo. I still used pellets also. In fact, here's the exact hop bill for this beer...

0.5 oz. Nugget @FWH
2 oz. Mosaic pellet @FO
1.5 oz. Citra pellet @FO
1 oz. Mosaic cryo @WP
1.5 oz. Citra pellet @WP
1 oz. Mosaic cryo @DH1
1 oz. Citra pellet @DH1
1 oz. Mosaic pellet @ DH2
1 oz. Citra cryo @ DH2
1 oz. Mosaic leaf @KH
 
Thats awesome. Sounds like my kind of hop bill. I always think im getting carried away with my hop bill, then im like maybe i should dial it back some. Looking at that maybe i should dial it up more lol
 
SHAIV said:
Thats awesome. Sounds like my kind of hop bill. I always think im getting carried away with my hop bill, then im like maybe i should dial it back some. Looking at that maybe i should dial it up more lol
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Haha, I feel ya! FWIW, on pretty much all of my hoppy beers (NEIPAs, IPAs, DIPAs, Pales, etc.) I do all my hops at flameout and after. It's made a huge difference in my hoppy beers. IMO boil hops (other than a bittering charge) are a waste of hops. BUT to each his own and I'm not about to mow another man's lawn!
 
Kegged and poured the NEIPA this weekend. This is my 6th attempt at this style and it's far and away my best one yet. Color and haze is spot on, IMO. The nose is amazing, I'm a big fan of the cryo hops! Here's a crappy pic I snapped yesterday.

IMG_9143.JPG
 
I'd take a day off from work and deer hunting to drive to Cola for one of those!! ^^^^^

Question for our SC friends as I know we have at least one attorney on this thread. Involves SC state sales tax on food products.

A friend from WI mentioned he stopped by his LHBS in WI and bought multiple sacks of malts. He said the don't charge sales tax on the malts there since they are considered by law to be a food product. In SC, our food products that are not prepared as fast food items are taxed at 2%. Last week when I bought malts locally I was charged the standard 8% state sales tax tare. Just wondering if anyone else has input of this in SC?
 
Morrey said:
I'd take a day off from work and deer hunting to drive to Cola for one of those!! ^^^^^

Question for our SC friends as I know we have at least one attorney on this thread. Involves SC state sales tax on food products.

A friend from WI mentioned he stopped by his LHBS in WI and bought multiple sacks of malts. He said the don't charge sales tax on the malts there since they are considered by law to be a food product. In SC, our food products that are not prepared as fast food items are taxed at 2%. Last week when I bought malts locally I was charged the standard 8% state sales tax tare. Just wondering if anyone else has input of this in SC?
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Huh. That is interesting. Honestly I have no idea as DOR law is definitely not in my wheelhouse. But I'm curious now so I'm going to look into it.
 
grandetacos said:
Many thanks. I am close to highway 6 - we will have to get together for a beer swap! I started some hops in the back yard this year. I will need to put up a taller post for them to climb next year.
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Somehow I missed this a while back (I'm not on here very often). Sounds like there are three of us super close to each other (Shaiv, I'm looking at you). Things have been busy for me (and will continue to be busy for me for the next few months), but man I'd like to get together with some other homebrewers since there are several of us close by. Maybe I'm all talk though because I've got my second kid on the way in the next month or so (no telling when the little guy will actually be here since our first was early). Anyway, just putting it out there now, and maybe we can make it happen sometime after the new year.
 
Yeah man. I understand completely, my second is almost 2 weeks old now. We got 2 under 2 now, so we got our hands full. Im not gonna be able to do any all grain batches in the near future im sure. I currently have a strawberry cider-wine in my keg now. I may not even have time to use my cryo hops in an extract beer anytime soon. I may just try to use them to dry hop some cider when i get a few minutes to throw another batch together. Thats why i like cider-wine (apfelwein) you just throw it together and let it go. Theres no boiling and chilling so its super quick and easy and you can make it as strong as you want
 
SHAIV said:
Yeah man. I understand completely, my second is almost 2 weeks old now. We got 2 under 2 now, so we got our hands full. Im not gonna be able to do any all grain batches in the near future im sure. I currently have a strawberry cider-wine in my keg now. I may not even have time to use my cryo hops in an extract beer anytime soon. I may just try to use them to dry hop some cider when i get a few minutes to throw another batch together. Thats why i like cider-wine (apfelwein) you just throw it together and let it go. Theres no boiling and chilling so its super quick and easy and you can make it as strong as you want
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Man, I'll be with you on the two under two train. Congrats on your recent addition!
 
Congrats man! I’ve got 3 myself (1,5,n7). They keep me busy. They like to help on brewday though. I just kegged a weissenbock and a Baltic porter. The weissenbock brew day was a disaster but the beer turned out ok. Needs some age though. It’s got a serious kick
 
Thanks guys! So travelinglight, when you ferment in your sanke keg, do you or have you done the no chill method? Ive read people do that with the same setup you got and im interested in it since it saves time and water
 
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SHAIV said:
Thanks guys! So travelinglight, when you ferment in your sanke keg, do you or have you done the no chill method? Ive read people do that with the same setup you got and im interested in it since it saves time and water
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I have not done no-chill. However, I often chill part the way to pitching temp, but not completely. Meaning, I'll usually chill to at least 90* or so, then go ahead and throw it in the keg and pitch yeast later that night or maybe the next day.

Like the beer I brewed on Saturday morning. I put it in the keg around 90*, and covered it tightly with sanitized aluminum foil, then aerated and pitched Sunday night. I am a little worried about this one. When I opened it up to pitch the yeast (all brett fermentation), it smelled a tad, just a cock hair, funky. So who knows if something got in there? I pitched the brett brux and we'll see what happens...
 
Man Im so paranoid about infections since ive had 2 of them. One was my third batch (second 5 gallon). I left my kettle chilling in an ice bath covered and went out for about an hour came back and transferred and pitched. It got something that probably ate all the unfermentables as after a bit in bottles it got pretty dry. And there was some wierd stuff on top of the beer before i bottled.

I pretty much want to pitch before i finish chilling. Like thats how fast i feel i need to pitch the yeast. Lol ive never actually done that but thats like my mindset. Other than sticking it in a safe environment and sealing at or near boiling i couldnt imagine doing what you described
 
SHAIV said:
Man Im so paranoid about infections since ive had 2 of them. One was my third batch (second 5 gallon). I left my kettle chilling in an ice bath covered and went out for about an hour came back and transferred and pitched. It got something that probably ate all the unfermentables as after a bit in bottles it got pretty dry. And there was some wierd stuff on top of the beer before i bottled.

I pretty much want to pitch before i finish chilling. Like thats how fast i feel i need to pitch the yeast. Lol ive never actually done that but thats like my mindset. Other than sticking it in a safe environment and sealing at or near boiling i couldnt imagine doing what you described
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Ha! I can understand that. And if I'd had multiple infections from this, I would definitely change my practices. But yeah, there are plenty of times I don't pitch yeast until 24 hours after chilling and racking to the FV. Usually it's because I wait too late in the week to spin up my starter and don't start cold crashing it until brew day, so I don't pitch until the next day. Never had a problem before...knock on wood. But, as I said, this one smelled a taaaaaddd funky, so we shall see. If I get an infection, it's not the end of the world. It'll be a pain in the ass, but I've got plenty of fermenters, so I'd probably ride it out as long as I could and see what happens.

I'll also say that I know I am on borrowed time right now, playing Russian roulette. Ever since I started doing some brett beers, I haven't gotten a separate auto siphon for those beers. I clean and sanitize, but one day it will bite me in the ass if I don't get some separate equipment. I use separate lines in the keezer and such, but just one auto siphon that gets used for clean beers and brett/lacto beers. It WILL come back to bite me. In due time...

TL;DR No infections thus far from pitching a day after racking to the FV.
 
Okay keggers, where do you guys get your C02 refills? Also, do they refill or exchange only?

Shaiv and Grandetacos, I'm looking at you two especially since I know you're closest to where I live. Looking forward to a good Christmas haul from the wife/using the cash from the in-laws to build my system, but I need to know if it's worth my time to buy a tank new or not (and how far out of my way it's going to be to get that filled--might play into the size I get).
 
5 lbs is a good size tank. If you have business hour availability then you could go to caraway fire and safety on highway one its right up the road. I know they do tank refills. Or theres another fire place on rosewood that some of the guys on here like. I have been to bottles on ft jackson blvd to swap tanks. They take a 50$ deposit for tank swapping and are open on saturdays
 
Also check craigslist. I just saw theres someone selling 5 and 10 lb tanks full of c02. I think it said 5 lb tank for 55$
 
SHAIV said:
5 lbs is a good size tank. If you have business hour availability then you could go to caraway fire and safety on highway one its right up the road. I know they do tank refills. Or theres another fire place on rosewood that some of the guys on here like. I have been to bottles on ft jackson blvd to swap tanks. They take a 50$ deposit for tank swapping and are open on saturdays
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Cool. Do you recall how much the place on highway one charges for fills?
 
Poopsmitherson said:
Cool. Do you recall how much the place on highway one charges for fills?
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Rosewood Fire and Safety charges what ends up being $16.75 with tax for a 5# CO2 tank. They have a freezer to keep empty tanks in since cold tanks accept a full fill whereas a hot tank won't. If you don't mind swapping, they take in your tank and fill you a cold one on the spot. If you have a new tank or just want yours filled, you can leave it with them for 2 hours to chill and stop back by and they will have it ready to go.
 
Poopsmitherson said:
Cool. Do you recall how much the place on highway one charges for fills?
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I believe it was about $20 i dont really remember. Its kind of a hole in the wall place. It sounds like i may be trying one of these other places mentioned here next time. I wonder if arc3 is open on saturdays. Do you know grandetacos?
 
SHAIV said:
I believe it was about $20 i dont really remember. Its kind of a hole in the wall place. It sounds like i may be trying one of these other places mentioned here next time. I wonder if arc3 is open on saturdays. Do you know grandetacos?
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Unfortunately they only do business hours.
 

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